Mail-bag receiving and delivering apparatus.



No. 809,430. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

- "I. GROSS.

. MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 000:. 11. 1905.

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T. GROSS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. 1906.

MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

gnfsses A I I I UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIOE.

, THEODORE CROSS, OF WASHINGTON, INDIANA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed'october 11, 1905. Serial No- 282,312.

To all whom, it 1% my concern.-

Be it known that I, THEODORE Onoss, a citizen of theggUnited States, residing at Washington, in the county of Daviess and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Mail-Bag Receiving and Delivering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for receiving mail-bags from and delivering mailbags to railway-trains while in motion, and

has for its object to produce a simply-constructed device of this character capable-of operation when the car is moving in either direction and at any speed.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction,

as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of the embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this inven tion within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a portion of a mail-car and the movable structure adjacent to the line of movement of the same. Fig. 2 is a plan view in section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged detail views illustrating the construction of the mail-bag-suspending means.

The improved apparatus comprises a mailcar of the usual construction, a structure movable toward and away from the line of travel of the car, a mail-receiving member and a mail-suspending means upon the car, and a mail-receiving member and a mail-suspending means upon the movable structure. The mail-car is indicated at 10, with the I usual doorway-opening 11. Disposed transversely of the doorway-opening is a bar 12 having a stud 13 extending upwardly from the center thereof. The bar is preferably detachably disposed in the doorway-opening, as by hangers or brackets 14, and is also provided with a stop-pin 15 opposite its central stud 13. Mounted for swinging upon the stud 13 is a plate 16, the socket for the stud being disposed intermediate the ends of the plate, so that the latter will swing at the ends alternately into and out of the car, being limited in its movement by the stop-pin 15, as shown in Fig. 2. Movably connected to the ambs of the car-door opening are one or more mail-bag-suspending means, consisting of U-shaped bars 17, movably connected to the jambs by clips 18 and with oppositelyextending studs 19 20 at the ends. When the members 7 are swung outwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the end portions 19 20 extend longitudinally of the body of the car and are spaced therefrom, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. swinging plate 16, will be disposed at a sufficient distance above the floor 21 of the car to permit the members 18 to operate beneath them, as shown.

Arranged at a convenient point near the line of travel of the car are spaced guide-rails 22 23, disposed at right angles to the railwayline and supporting a structure or receptacle 24 by carrier-wheels running upon the rails 22 23, a portion of one of the wheels being indicated at 25, the guide-rails having a stop 26 to limit the movement in one direction. The receptacle or structure 24 is provided with a doorway opening in the side neXt the railway-line and preferably provided with doors, as at 27. WVithin the doorway of the movable structure is arranged a bar 28, having a central stud 29 to receive a swinging plate 30, the bar having a central stop-pin 31 spaced from its stud 29. Attached, as by clips 32, to the jambs of the doorway of the structure 24 are one or more mail-bag-suspending means 33, having laterally-extending termi nals 34 35 and swinging through the doorwayopening of the movable structure. The bar 28, with its stud 29 and stop-pin 31, together with its swinging plate 30, are duplicates of the like parts 12, 13, 15, and 16, attached to the car, and the bag-suspending means 33, 34, and 35 are duplicates of the like parts 17, 19, and 20, attached to the car and arranged in the same manner, except that their positions are reversed, with the swinging plate of the movable structure disposed opposite the bag-suspending means of the car and the bag-susp ending means of the movable structure opposite the swinging plate of the car. The laterallyprojecting terminals of the suspending members are designed to receive the mail-bags, one

I of which is represented at 36 which are provided with straps 37 38 at the ends to bear over the lateral terminals, as shown.

With an apparatus thus constructed when a mail-bag is to be delivered to the car the bag-suspending members of the car are withdrawn and the plate 16 set with one end projecting as far as the stop-pin will permit, with the projecting end toward the direction in which the car is moving. The movable structure 24 is then set at the nearest point to the line of travel of the car, and the bagsuspending member 33, which for the time being is farthest from the approaching car, projected and the bag suspended from lateral terminals extending away from the approach.- ing car. As before stated, the bag-suspending means of the movable structure are located opposite the swinging plate of the car and the lateral projections are spaced far enough apart for the projecting end of the plate to pass between them as the car passes,

the plate thus picking off the mail-bag and carrying it into the car along the inclined face of the plate. If the car is moving in the opposite direction, the plate is reversed and the bag suspended from the other lateral projection of the suspending member with the same result, as will be obvious. If the mailbag is to be delivered from the car to the structure 24, the plate 30 of the structure is projected and the bag suspended from the suspending means of the car in the same manner and the bag picked off by the plate 30 and carried into the movable structure. If a mail-bag is to be delivered to the structure 24 and to the car 10 at the same time, both of the swinging plates will be set in projected positions and the two mail-bags disposed upon their respective suspending means, with the result of simultaneously depositing the bags in the car and into the structure, as required. Two of the suspending means may be employed in the car and in the movable structure, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or by providing a fastening means such as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 one of the suspending means may be employed for each structure, as will be obvious.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a mail-bag catching and delivering mechanism, a plate having means applied intermediate thereof for swinging in a cardoorway, a supporting structure movable toward and away from the path of the car, and a' mail-bagsupporting means attached to said structure.

2. In a mail-bag catching and delivering mechanism, a plate having means applied intermediate thereof for swinging in a cardoorway, guide-tracks arranged at right angles to the line of movement of the car, a supstructure, and means for suspending a mail bag from said structure.

4. The combination with a railway-car of a plate having means applied intermediate thereof for swinging in the doorway of said car, means for suspending a mail-bag and movably connected to the car and swinging into and projecting from the same, means for suspending a mail-bag in the path of said plate when projected, and means for removing a mail-bag from said suspending means when projected.

5. The combination with a railway-car of a plate having means applied intermediate thereof for swinging in the doorway of said car, means for suspending a mail-bag and movably connected to the car and swinging into and projecting from the same, a supporting structure movable toward and away from the line of movement of the car, a plate having means applied intermediate thereof for swinging in said structure, means for suspending a mail-bag and movably connected to said structure and swinging into and projecting from the same.

6; The combination with a car of a bar disposed transversely of its doorwayopening, a plate mounted intermediate thereof for swinging upon said bar, and means for sus pending a mail-bag in the path of said plate when projected.

7. The combination with a car of a bar disposed transversely of its doorway-opening and provided with a stop member, a plate pivoted intermediately thereof to said bar and limited in its movement by said stop member, and means for suspending a mailbag in the path of said plate when projected.

8. The combination with a railway-car of a mail-bag-suspending member consisting of a U-shaped bar mounted to swing through the doorway-opening of the car and with oppositely-extending suspension-fingers at the terminals of its arms.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THEODORE CROSS.

WVitnesses THOMAS WILsoN, Jr., CLINTON BURTON THARP. 

